Page 11 of Shattered Oath

“Are you okay?” I ask him, and his smile grows wider.

“Never been better,” he says, his expression distant. Okay, there’s definitely more to this.

Can’t you just enjoy going on a vacation, dammit?

Why do I have to second-guess everything? He’s just taking a break. Any sane person would need it, especially after that deadly night.

Lev brings out his tablet and focuses on it during the drive. I assume he is busy with work. I distract myself with the view of the city. It doesn’t take long for me to notice that we are heading to the airport. When we reach it, the driver takes a route past the main terminal. I give Lev a questioning look, but his eyes are still fixed on his tablet.

I realize we are driving through a private space some minutes later. My mouth falls open when the car stops in front of a private jet. We leave the car and head toward it.

“Good evening, Mr. Ivanov,” a beautiful flight attendant greets Lev. Her tone is flirtatious and I can’t help but glare at her. The way she is smiling at Lev doesn’t help either.

Get your eyes off my man, bitch!

I glance at Lev to see if he notices the flight attendant’s behavior… or my stupidly jealous reaction. He seems oblivious, his face impassive. I feel a thrill as he places his palm on my lower back and guides me up the staircase. My inner devil smiles as I hold the attendant’s eyes. She seems to realize I’ve caught her because she quickly diverts her attention.

It’s an unsettling sense of victory, and I start wondering what the hell has come over me.

“Wow,” I whisper as Lev leads me into the plane. Everything screams luxury. “Who does this belong to?” I ask and immediately realizing how ridiculous my question is. Lev sits across from me.

“You think I would use someone else’s jet?” he asks, raising an eyebrow. I don’t respond, feeling like a fool.

“Mr. Ivanov, the plane will take off in twenty minutes,” the flight attendant from earlier says, announcing her presence.

“Good,” he says with a curt nod.

“Would you like anything, sir?” she asks.

“I’m fine. You can ask my wife what she wants,” Lev says as he returns his attention to the tablet with him. I feel a thrill at the way he refers to me as his wife. The attendant’s eyes widen a bit before she composes herself.

That’s right, he is my husband.

Jealousy shows its ugly head again. I can’t explain my attitude. But then again, with Lev, I seem to lose all sense of reason.

“What can I get you, ma’am?” she asks.

“I’m fine, thank you,” I tell her.

“If you need anything, I’ll be at your service,” she says with a practiced smile before she leaves.

I stare around, wondering what I’ll do with my time. As if reading my mind, Lev glances up at me with an odd intensity that leaves me a little unnerved.

“You’re tired,” he says. “It’s been a busy week.”

I don’t want to agree with him, but he’s right… And most of it is attached to the way my emotions have been a mess lately.

Lev. Leila. Or shall I call her my mother? The strange feeling of being torn between them unsettles me.

“I guess,” I admit. “Maybe there’s been a lot on my mind.”

“I’m sure.”

I want to ask him what he means by that. I also want to take it at face value. Maybe he’s just worried I’ve been stressed out or something.

Yeah, right.

He could care less.

---